The Rightful Heir of Slytherin (Year 6 - Book 1)

Ch31: Search

Erin's POV:

Flying as fast as I can manage despite the pain, I make it to Hogwarts in record time, crashing against the front doors as I do. My body's utterly exhausted but I still cry out for help and after hearing the rushing of feet, I collapse to the ground.

Much to my surprise, the first face I see is not that of some random student but of Dumbledore himself and with him, Cassandra's mother.

Bagnold: Where's Cassandra?

Dumbledore: What happened?

Me: Cassandra...she...help her.

My thoughts crumble away beneath the utter exhaustion flooding my body. Even as they continue pressing me for information, I only manage to utter the words 'Dark Forest' before passing out.

...

...

...

????: Has there been any news?

????: No. We've had people scouring every inch of the Forest but we've been unable to find any signs of her current whereabouts. We did find that a section of the forest was recently burned down, however.

????: Burned down?

????: Likely where she received those burns. It's our best lead so far but there's no sign-

Opening my eyes, I'm surprised to find myself indoors but as my memories come rushing back to me, I force myself to sit up. The two voices I heard turned out to be that of Valentina and a woman I'd never seen before but quickly recognise as an Auror from the badge on her collar. 

Me: Have you found her?

They both look at me, surprised, but Valentina is the first to respond by shaking her head.

Me: We need to find her. She-

Valentina: Tell me what happened.

Dumbledore and the others, as if on cue, enter the room at that very moment and after everyone gathers I recount the events that transpired leading to them finding me on Hogwart's doorsteps. By the time I'm done, however, only Valentina seems calm.

Valentina: It's best to let her cool down.

Me: What are you saying? She needs our help!

Valentina: I say this as someone who's known her the longest. While I've never seen it get as bad as you've described, I've seen her have similar breakdowns in the past and...let's just say, it works out best if you allow her to calm down on her own.

Me: But-

Valentina: Of course, this doesn't mean we won't keep searching for her. All I'm saying is that when we do, we should try not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.

I open my mouth to oppose her words but before I can utter a sound, someone barges in with news that they've located her but all attempts to approach her have failed.

Auror: She's too strong. Apart from using magic that could hurt her, we simply can't restrain her. 

Bagnold: How is she? Does she seem off?

Auror: If I were to describe it, speaking freely, she's currently in a state similar to that of a cornered animal. You can't go near without being ripped to shreds. 

Bagnold: Are you calling my-

Dumbledore: Where is she right now?

Auror: On a warpath just north of Glasgow. While we haven't managed to contain her we have managed to prevent her from going any further. The muggle authorities have been actively keeping their people away from the area with our assistance but I fear-

Bagnold: Take us there.

Auror: Err...

Bagnold: NOW!

The Auror is taken aback by her command but still leads the way. Using the Floo network within Hogwarts, we quickly arrive outside the castle and after clearing its boundaries, everyone Apparates away.

What greets us upon arrival, is not the scene the Auror had described but rather an absolute bloodbath as witches and wizards lay strewn about as all-out war ensues between Cassandra, Aurors and Death Eaters. 

I duck as a wizard is blasted overhead sending his body crashing into a nearby tree. I watch as another gets split in half by a slicing gust of wind before yet another is lifted off the ground and banged around like a ragdoll. It's utter chaos.

Cassandra's in the thick of it, lashing out at anything that even remotely deigns to come her way and striking with the fury to match. The Aurors seem to realise this as they stop attempting to subdue her and instead begin focusing on taking down the Death Eaters thus effectively turning her into an ally.

Valentina: Keep them off me. I'll see if I can get to her.

I watch as Valentina takes off, zipping through the battlefield as she makes a run for Cassandra. Dumbledore and the others ward off all attacks against her with spells of their own but right as she's about to creep up on Cassandra unexpectedly, a new foe emerges right before her as if out of thin air.

????: Avada-

There's a massive explosion accompanied by light so bright it'll probably be mistaken for the sun by those many miles away. Everyone casts Protego or similar defensive spells in advance but we're all blown away by the sheer force of the explosion.

The ground rumbles and quakes. All fighting ceases.

When the light finally clears, I'm both shocked and alarmed at the sight. More terrifying than the state of the land, however, is the fact that in the centre of all the destruction stand Cassandra and Voldemort. Valentina is nowhere to be seen. Did she-

Voldemort: Avada-

There's another explosion. Is this how it must always end?